How I market myself online
I studied UCT’s Bsc Eng Mechanical and Mechatronics and I found it difficult to market yourself online. I have adopted a set of approaches to self-marketing that I think others can benefit from.
Here’s the general strategy. I meet said employer. I pull out my wallet and handover a card with my website url. That directs them here (hello!).
Some background
So I work in tech development. To find work, I soon realised that it would be useful to find ways to promote myself (e.g. this website).
The post you’re reading now focuses on ways I chose to market myself as an engineer. So what should I put into my CV as a Bsc Eng(MMT)?
A. Personal branding
An online profile is a great way to sell myself effectively.
Sections:
- A personal website
- My business card
1. A personal website
My website unifies all the parts we’ll mention now. This helps to simplify management of my professional profile.
2. My business card
My business card helps me stay in touch with people that I meet only once. I pull out my wallet and handover a card with my website url. That directs them here (hello!).
B. Focusing on skills
A tech employer will very often look for specific skills (especially technical skills when applying for technical roles). What skills do I have? The question I prefer is: What value can my skills contribute to their company?
Sections:
- Skills listed by subject/interest
- Skills utilized in concrete projects
- Skill keywords
1. Subjects on my transcript
First I looked at what skills my degree offered me.
Mapping the subjects offered by Bsc Eng (MMT).
Each subject teaches a host of areas of applications. It’s difficult to pin down what skills each subject translates to. I found better ways to showcase the skills I learned during university.
2. Projects in my portfolio
Laying out the technical aspects of projects is a great way of displaying the level of my different skills. Ideally, employers will click on what interests them. Click on my Portfolio tab above to get an idea of how I went about it.
How to get a portfolio up and going? There are many paid plans, but I luckily stumbled on a way to host this site for free on Github-Pages using Jekyll-now. Great for blogs and portfolios. Be warned: no CMS, no databasing, just static content. Browse through this website to see what Jekyll-now has to offer.
3. Listing skills during an interview
Interviewers will expect from you to list your strongpoints. Here’s a basic infographic that I edited many times. Categorising the skills make it easier to discuss them.
There are actually various ways of viewing the combination of your skills: I-shaped skills, T-shaped or X-shaped skills. This article explains it better than I could. I see myself as T-shaped: one area of specialty, other skills, with a collaborative mindset.
I would put my skills under three broad categories.
Technical skills
I broadly categorise my own skills as hardware and software, mechanical and mechatronic, front-end and back-end, etc.
Project-related skills
As an engineer working towards fast deadlines and tight budgets, it is useful to have project management and technical writing skills.
Social skills
I have been asked about my team management skills (I described challenges that occur in team situations).
C. Focusing on experience
Other than skills, there’s a different approach to self-marketing: personal experience. This can be showcased for each project separately. Sections:
- List of portfolio projects
- List of jobs
- List of business ventures
1. Portfolio projects
Experience in a particular field
It is useful to showcase projects in the areas of interest of employers. For instance, a project in app development actually helped leverage me into robotic engineering. This type of experience helps show that I have knowledge about a certain field (T-skills) and that I am adaptable to further projects in said field.
Decision-making experience
A way to show good decision-making within a project is to write about the project’s constraints, limitations, success areas, and offer recommendations. This type of experience helps show that I am reliable, accountable and professional. Click on my Portfolio tab above to get an idea of how I went about it.
2. Listing jobs that were done
Associating myself with certain companies/commissions/work environments definitely adds to my profile. Check out my CV tab above to see how I went about it.
3. Business ventures
Business-type projects attest to the ways I take initiatives. Check out my Ventures tab above to observe my approach.
D. Staying current
Showcasing knowledge of the latest changes in the market, in tech, in books of a wide range of topics indicates that I am highly adaptable. Sections:
- Writing about current tech news
- Testing the latest technologies
1. Writing about current tech news
In my field of development, staying informed of the ever-changing tech market is critical - writing about it is a work of self-promotion. I wrote a bit about this in the Opinion section of my blog.
2. Testing the latest technologies
I believe that the most power tool for a developer is the ability to mix and match technologies. Once you’ve done and tested a technology, your ability to understand further implications of the application of the tech are beyond words. I have a section in my blog called Lifestyle devoted to sharing my personal projects of new tech.
